Saturday, June 18, 2011

COMIC: Top of the Stack - Cyclops #1 (Review)

Written by Lee BlackArt by Dean HaspielCover by Roger Cruz

Publisher: Marvel ComicsPrice: $2.99

The moment I picked up and read Marvel's CYCLOPS ONE-SHOT I knew that I had found the top book from the last week in March's comics stack. What made it stand out from other stellar releases from the week like CAPTAIN AMERICA #616, INCREDIBLE HULKS #621 and the JIMMY OLSEN ONE-SHOT was the fun and humor found in the pages focused on a character that rarely gets to seen in such a light.

Unlike the main X-books that are mired in continuity and the the gritty realism of the era the stories are now written in, writer Lee Black took everyone's favorite optic-blasting mutant back to his younger first class days to present a fun, adventure-filled story that works well in that perceived simpler time.

In the story called "The Bicycle Thief: Or How Cyclops Got His Groove Back", readers are treated to a well-rounded portrayal of Cyclops. He goes from sharing his feelings after a rough day with Zelda the cute barista, to chasing after Batroc the Leaper and his crew that led Cyclops into bizarre situations like having to steal a bike, finding himself in a Hydra warehouse, visiting a pet store being used as a super-villain storage unit, before coming face to face with the criminal mastermind behind it all, Baron Zemo. Over the length of the adventure, Cyclops finds himself having fun and being able to relax in a way his teammates had been able to during battles when he had not.

To match the timing of the story, the art reflected a style reminiscent of the earlier X-MEN: FIRST CLASS series, even going so far as having the cover drawn by the first class artist, Roger Cruz.

I almost wish this was a start of a series instead of just a one-shot, because it proved that a solo title for Cyclops can be entertaining and honestly there are just not enough fun, all-ages titles covering the big characters from Marvel. Sometimes you just need to step away from the events and enjoy a simpler story you can finish in one go and that is when releases like this CYCLOPS ONE-SHOT are a welcome gift to the week. Give it a read, you will not regret the time taken.